Q:  What positions are up for election every year?

A:  All the level representatives, which are one of each of the following: Elementary, Middle School, Secondary, and Counselor Educator/Supervisor.  The other elected position is President-Elect who is elected biannually.

Q:  What is expected of me if I get elected?

A:  MSCA’s Bylaws state the following responsibilities of Level Representatives and Vice-Presidents:

1. Represent professional school counseling and counseling issues at their level settings.
2. Generate interest and activities with their respective level settings.
3. Serve on Level Counselor-of-the-Year selection committee. 
4. Serve on Nominating Committee.  (What this means:  Give the nominations chair the names of counselors who would make good board candidates in the future.  Possibly contact some people to encourage them to run for office.)
5. Write one level article for The Michigan School Counselor annually.  (What this means:  Level Representatives and Vice-Presidents discuss ideas for articles and write one article together or possibly separately.  For example, the Middle School Rep and the Middle School VP will talk to each other about what topics are relevant to middle school counselors, figure out which topic to write about, and jointly contribute to one newsletter article per year.  
6. Maintain a presence on the MSCA website.  (What this means:  This is usually handled by the Level Vice-Presidents, but Reps can contribute as well.  Topics that are generic to a grade level (elementary, middle, high school, post-secondary) are interesting to MSCA members who work at those same grade levels.  Knowing what’s going on throughout the state and the nation allows people to feel connected.)
7. Participate as member of the Executive Committee as needed.  (What this means:  The Executive Committee consists of twelve board members:  The President, President-Elect (or Immediate Past President), the four Level Vice Presidents, the four level Representatives, and the Secretary and Treasurer.  The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of the Association, as needed, for the Governing Board during the intervals between its meetings and shall meet at the discretion of the President.)

Q:  What meetings will I need to attend and where are they held?

A:  There are five meetings per year of the Governing Board.  One is held in September and is a full day meeting.  The October meeting is held the day before MSCA’s Fall Conference at the conference site.  Board members are encouraged to help get last minute conference materials together after the meeting.  The December, February and May meetings are half days (1:00 – 4:00).  All meetings other than the one in October are held in Lansing.  

Q:  How long is a Level Representative’s term of office?

A:  Two years.  A person is first elected as a grade level representative (elementary, middle, secondary, or post secondary), which lasts one year, from July 1 through June 31.  At the completion of that year, all representatives automatically move into the position of Vice-President of that grade level for the next year.  Therefore, although each position is only for one year, a representative actually serves two years on the board.    

Q:  What are the meetings like?

A:  Meetings are well run with agendas sent out to board members in advance and proper decorum followed.  Items such as national and state level topics that affect school counselors, ways to serve our members, and reports from our lobbyist are discussed.  We also have fun and really enjoy being together! Year after year the board members work so well with each other that appointed positions are sought out at the end of terms of representative/vice-president so people can stay on the board!   

Q:  How do people get nominated to run for Representative positions?

A: To be eligible for any elective office, an individual must be a Professional or Emeritus member of MSCA.  A Representative must be employed as a counselor in the work setting to be represented.  People can nominate themselves or others whom they feel would be valuable assets to the board.  All candidates shall complete a MSCA Leadership Nomination Form, which can be found on the Nominations page of MSCA’s web site.  

Q:  After a person has completed two years on the board, one year as a Level Rep and one as a VP, can they run the following year as a Level Representative again?

A:  No.  We want to encourage new people onto the board.  However, it’s possible for people to chair a standing committee at the completion of their elected term of office.    

Q:  How are the elections held?

A:  As of 2008, MSCA’s Governing Board elections are done electronically.  The ballot sits on MSCA’s web site and members are notified via e-mail to access the ballot.  The ballot includes short biographies of the candidates so members can make an informed decision.  Pictures of candidates will hopefully be added in the future. 

Q:  How does the President-Elect get nominated and when are elections held for that position?

A:  The President-Elect is nominated by the board and must be a board member.  A President serves a total of four years.  Their first year is as President-Elect.  Years two and three are as President.  Year four is as Past-President.  A President-Elect is voted on prior to the President serving their second year in the top position.  In effect, a President-Elect is job shadowing the President.

Q:  How many people will candidates for Level Representatives be running against?

A:  A total of two people are allowed to run per level. 

Q:  Does the Governing Board have positions other than those that are elected?

A:  Yes.  Chairs of the Standing Committees plus the Secretary and Treasurer are appointed.   

Q:  What are the Standing Committees?

A:  Scholarship/Professional Recognition, Bylaws Chair/Parliamentarian, Secretary, Treasurer, MCGCP, Ethics, Newsletter, Hospitality, Inter-Professional Relations, Membership, Public Relations/Advocacy, Mentoring, Nominations and Elections, Public Policy and Legislation, Technology, and Headquarters.

Q:  How do people get appointed to the Standing Committees or the positions of Secretary and Treasurer?

A:  In the spring preceding the term of presidency, the President-Elect, with the approval of the Governing Board, shall appoint the standing committee chairs, the Secretary, and Treasurer to serve a two-year term concurrent with that individual’s presidency.  

Q:  If I’m interested in an appointed position, how can I make my intentions known?

A:  Contact the President-Elect.  The President-Elect's name and contact information is listed in the back of every The Michigan School Counselor newsletter and is also found here.

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